Paper clip



W. L. TIBBALS Feb. 5, 1935.

PAPER CLI P Filed Jan. 8, 1954 R/ m. n ma T Z A 2. T 7% mm ,m Z W Patented Feb. 5, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application January 8,

.3 Claims.

This'invention relates to paper clips, and more especially to those of the type made of one piece of wire.

The present clip may be made of any suitable kind and form of stock material but for reasons later described wire having fiat-face portions is advantageous.

A notorious objection to the types of clips now extensively marketed is that when a clip is applied to a bundle of more than a few sheets there is a tendency for the gripping parts on the top and on the bottom of the bundle to lie at an open angle as to the surface of the paper with the consequence that very often the clip will tangle with and pick up additional sheets not intended for the clipped bundle.

It is a purpose of this invention to provide a clip of such construction and arrangement of elements as will avoid this objection.

A further purpose is to provide a wire clip of very simple and substantial structure and of low cost of manufacture.

An additional object is to provide a clip having the desired advantage of non-tangling and yet be of as easy application as the currently used forms and similarly applicative so that current practice is followed.

The invention consists in certain advancements in this art as set forth in the ensuing disclosure and having, with the above, additional objects and advantages as hereinafter developed, and whose construction, combination and details of means, and the manner of operation will be made manifest in the description of the herewith illustrative embodiment; it being understood that modifications, variations and adaptations may be resorted to within the scope, principle and spirit of the invention as it is more directly claimed hereinafter.

Figure 1 is a perspective of the clip.

Figure 2 is a plan showing the clip applied to a bundle of sheets of paper, and

Figure 3 is an end view thereof to show the diagonal position of the top member.

Figure 4 is a side view of the applied clip to show the parallel position of the gripping limbs of the clip.

Figure 5 is a sectional detail showing the gripping limbs of fiat-faced wire.

The clip preferably comprises a single piece of resilient wire, bent to provide what may be termed a transverse, top member 2 at the ends of which are down turned side parts 34, which, because of a function are termed torque shanks.

Inwardly extending from the lower, shank ends 1934, Serial No. 705,680

are unidirectional cross-bars 5-6 which lie in apposition, that is, are juxtaposed and parallel side-by-side (in the inapplied state of the clip).

The main paper gripping or embracing means of the clip consists of upper end lower limbs (or frames) 87 which respectively join the extremities of the cross-bars 6-5. The terms upper and lower are merely relative since the clip is reversible side for side. These gripping limbs may be formed in endless outlines and here present triangular figures with rounded apices 9- 10; each triangle being asymmetrical and thus disposing the apices at opposite bottom corners of the clip in spaced relation, with the hypotenuse sides converging and crossing. This form of gripping limbs thus affords great facility of application of the clip to a bundle of paper P.

The gripping limbs. (frames) lie one on the other in parallelism in the plane of their bars 5 -6 hence when the clip is applied to a bundle 20 of sheets the top member 2 is drawn to a diag-- onal position a, Fig. 3, along the edge of the bundle and at the same time the shanks are subjected to a torque or twisting effort around their axes due to assumption of parallel positions by the upper and lower gripping limbs 7-8 on the interposed paper P. v

The inherent tendency of the cross-bars 5-6 to retain their normal, free parallel relation has the eifect of clinching firmly on the interposed paper and to maintain the limbs '7-8 in their relative parallelism.

Fig. 5 shows the clip made of wire having flatfaced portions 11-l2 between the apioes 9l0 so as to lie closer to the paper than is the case if the wire is of round-section and thus reduce still more the hazard of sheet tangle.

What is claimed is:

1. A paper clip formed of a single piece of wire and comprising a top cross-member and apair of side torque shanks each with an inwardly directed bar, said bars overlapping one another and extending unidirectionally lengthwise, and each bar provided with a paper gripping limb in the same horizontal plane as its bar; the limbs being yieldably separable with their bars to provide for insertion of paper to the top member.

2. A paper clip comprising a top cross-member having side shanks at its ends, and parallel paper gripping means including overlapped, unidirectionally extending, transverse bars connected to the ends of said shanks and grippinglimbs connected to ends of relative bars; the bar and limb of each shank lying in a common plane, the gripping means of the shanks being substantially in parallelism and yieldably separable to provide for insertion of paper to the top member.

3. A paper clip comprising a pair of asymmetrical paper gripping limbs, a cross-bar at- 5 tached to each limb and lying in a common plane therewith, said cross-bars lying side to side and extending unidirectionally lengthwise, and a. top

cross-member having, at its ends, parallel, side torque shanks to which are connected contiguous ends of said cross-bars; said shanks and their respective bars being yieldably separable to provide for insertion of paper therebetween up to the top member.

WILLIAM L. TIBBALS. 

